Composing Egypt: Reading, Writing, and the Emergence of a Modern Nation, 1870-1930

Hoda A. Yousef

Abstract

This book is a cultural and social history of Egypt from 1870 to 1930 that examines the way in which Egyptian men and women began reading, writing, and perceiving the Arabic language in ever more public ways. It argues that the emergence of modern Egypt was predicated on the changing literacy practices of the turn of the twentieth century, fundamentally altering the way audiences and writers related to each other, society, schooling, and the Arabic language itself. This restructuring of various literacies gave birth to a dynamic era of Egyptian history as individuals undertook new kinds of eng ... More

This book is a cultural and social history of Egypt from 1870 to 1930 that examines the way in which Egyptian men and women began reading, writing, and perceiving the Arabic language in ever more public ways. It argues that the emergence of modern Egypt was predicated on the changing literacy practices of the turn of the twentieth century, fundamentally altering the way audiences and writers related to each other, society, schooling, and the Arabic language itself. This restructuring of various literacies gave birth to a dynamic era of Egyptian history as individuals undertook new kinds of engagements with the written word, particularly in their civic participation and gendered roles in various public spaces. However, the impact of these new writing practices went well beyond the elite or the highly literate of Egyptian society. Students who wrote petitions, women who frequented scribes, children who memorized the Quran and studied little else, and communities who gathered to hear the reading of newspapers, all participated in literacies that were taking on new import as Egyptians sought to improve their society. The conclusion this book draws is that these new literacies not only changed the way people interacted with the written word, but also became a touchstone for the many who believed it would be central to the future of the nation and its people. Both the discourse and practices of literacies allowed new ideas about nationalism, education, and modern subjectivity to reach vast segments of society, irrespective of literate ability.

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